This invention relates generally to gas turbine engine and, more particularly to, a portable gas turbine engine generator set.
Gas turbine engines generally include, in serial flow arrangement, a high-pressure compressor for compressing air flowing through the engine, a combustor in which fuel is mixed with the compressed air and ignited to form a high temperature gas stream, and a high pressure turbine. The high-pressure compressor, combustor and high-pressure turbine are sometimes collectively referred to as the core engine. Such gas turbine engines also may include a low-pressure compressor, or booster, for supplying compressed air to the high pressure compressor.
Gas turbine engines are used in many applications, including in aircraft, power generation, and marine applications. The desired engine operating characteristics vary, of course, from application to application. Accordingly, at least one known gas turbine includes a booster compressor to facilitate increasing the pressure of the air entering the high pressure compressor, which results in increased power output and efficiency of the gas turbine engine. An intercooler heat exchanger may be positioned between the booster compressor and the high pressure compressor to facilitate reducing the temperature of the air entering the high pressure compressor. Using an intercooler facilitates increasing the efficiency of the engine while reducing the quantity of work performed by the high pressure compressor.
Moreover, at least one known gas turbine generator assembly includes a gas turbine engine that is coupled to a generator, wherein the gas turbine generator assembly is then coupled to a barge to facilitate delivering power to remote areas of the world. However, the at least one known gas turbine generator assembly includes an intercooler heat exchanger that utilizes ambient air as a cooling medium to cool the air flow exiting the booster compressor. Accordingly, the reduction in temperature is limited by the dry bulb ambient air temperature for the air cooled heat exchanger. Moreover, air-to-air heat exchangers are generally less effective when used on hot days due to a lower air density and an increase in the intercooler exit temperatures, thus resulting in a decrease in the gas turbine power.